Here we go again. The people are complaining. If there is one constant in life, it’s that people will complain. Out of the discontent in our hearts we long for more and as we do, we complain about what’s in front of us. The human heart has not changed since God created Adam, if we allow ourselves, we complain. In fact, if you go back and count up the complainings and murmurings of the Israelites where God had to step in and correct them, it comes to a whopping 7. And today makes 8.
So, what are the people complaining about this time? Well, they are at the tail end of their 40 years of wandering. 40 years of God’s judgement upon them for refusing to enter the promised land. By this point they had seen scores of rebellious hearts die in the desert, God eliminating hard hearts that refused to be obedient to His commands. They are nearing the promised land for the second time now and as they exit the wilderness, they encounter civilization again. The first city they come to is Edom, founded by Esau, Jacob’s brother. The Israelites could have shaved off days of hard hiking if they could have cut through the land of Edom, but Edom refuses to let them pass through. As a result, they have to hike around Edom, and it’s a hard hike. Mountainous, hot, steep, rocky and rough. So guess what? When life gets hard, people complain. They should have had a Snickers bar because I think they were all “hangry.” Hangry was an understatement. This time, they took their complaining to a whole new level.
I recently talked to a friend and he told me about his 3 year old nephew. The young boy is a terror. Out of control in his energy and destructive capabilities, but most of all, out of control in his rebellion to authority. His parents are at their wits end. As we talked about him, we talked about boundaries. That in our rebellion, no matter our age, we are constantly testing our boundaries. Just like a bull, walking the fence line to check every inch of fence to see if there’s an opening. You see this young 3 year old terror is not just checking his boundaries but at times moving them. What can be done and what pain is associated with the act? If I did this bad thing last time and it only resulted in a sharp word or a time out, then I can go a little farther next time. The only correction to this pattern? An action that brings enough pain into our life to reverse the boundary pushing trend. We are still merely animals and pain will cause us to reformulate and restructure our boundaries. Popular modern psychology will tell us not to ever spank a child but my friends, the Holy Word of God differs. The book of Proverbs alone speaks of spanking blatantly disobedient and openly rebellious children in 10 different verses. Who are you going to listen to, some modern shrinks that thinks they have a found a better way or Almighty God? Well, if you’ve seen kids in public today, you’ll realize most of the world is listening to the shrinks.
As a result of the hard hike around Edom, the people are exhausted, frustrated, hot and just plain tired of wandering. They raise their angry voices this time against not only Moses, but they test their boundaries and complain directly about God and His provision. Oops, not smart.
“From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.” Numbers 21:4-6
The eighth instance of complaining is different. You see the people’s murmurings increased in their boldness each time until it reaches this climactic point of the people openly rejecting God and His provision for them. They boldly say they “loathed (intense disgust for) the manna.” Call this biting the hand that feeds you. You see regarding rebellion in our lives, it never grows lesser, only greater. Rebellion grows and grows until we experience enough pain that we reverse our direction. God sends fiery serpents into the camp and one bite equals death. What an absolutely terrifying scene this must have been. To see these horrible snakes claim the lives of those around you. To see wives, husbands, sons and daughters, running in terror, bitten once, falling in their footsteps. The cost of our rebellion to God is death, pure and simple.
But God has mercy on those that repent. Repent means to “turn around”, a 180 degree about face. If you’re heading west, you now go east. When God brings the pain, the people turn from their rebellion and admit their sin before Him. As a result, God makes a way to save them.
“And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” Numbers 21:7-9
Folks, don’t miss the invaluable pattern here, it is 100% applicable to our lives today. The people openly rebel, reject and complain about God. God rightfully judges them for their rebellion against Him. The people admit and repent of their sin against God. He forgives them using an intercessor. Friends, this is the way of God. Let’s bring this home to see where it sits with us today.
Our rebellion and rejection of God, His laws, His commandments and His provision is sin. We all have sin and will sin, past, present and future. As we sin against God, He judges us for our transgressions and trespasses against Him. When we experience the pain of His judgement and correction, we are moved in a direction opposite of where our rebellion was taking us, which is repenting. And as a way of allowing our sin-stained lives to be in the presence of a perfect righteous God, He sent an intercessor for us. But folks, for us, instead of a brass serpent on a pole, He sent His only son Jesus Christ.
Just about everybody knows the verse John 3:16, but most would be shocked by the 2 verses that come right before it. Check out John 3:14-15 and see if hits home.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14-16
You see, all sin requires a payment, a sacrifice, a shedding of blood. It all started with the original sin of Adam and Eve when God killed an animal to cover their post-fruit, naked sinful state. It is no different today. But instead of a brass serpent on a pole, God sent His Son, once and for all to hang on a Cross and die. The sacrifice of Jesus makes a way for all sinners to believe upon His actions upon that Cross and call upon His name to save them from the death of their sins. Folks, as the maddened people ran in terror from the imminent death of those fiery serpents, all they had to do was look up. Look up to the brass serpent upon that pole. Look up to the way that God had made for them. As they did, they did not suffer the death they deserved, but were rewarded with life.
Today, look up to live. Look up to the cross where Jesus died for your sins. Because of what was done on that Cross, you do not have to receive the death your sin against God brings you, but you can have life. Eternal life in the presence of Holy God in Heaven.
Call upon Jesus today to save you from your rebellion to God.
Look up to Jesus and live.
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